Off-roading in the Mahindra Alturas G4

Testing the off-roading prowess of the Mahindra Alturas G4 SUV in Jaipur

“Leave the traction control on and turn the knob to four-wheel-drive low” said Mahindra Adventure’s chief instructor Manish Sarser. I did exactly what was told and then on the Alturas G4 literally took care of itself over the 10-minute off-roading trail at the Moto Sport Park in Achrol, Rajasthan. It was a rather spirited night in Jaipur. Mahindra graced its guests with a classic whiskey tasting session and musical and poetic performances by esteemed film stars. And the next morning was all about dirt and off-roading with Mahindra’s flagship SUV.

The circuit was aplenty with steep inclines and declines, crests and slow corners. And the Alturas tackled most of it extremely well. The 4-low setting is controlled via a rotary knob in the centre console. It provided enough bottom end grunt to get the car out of heavy sand filled sections. Moreover, 4-low coupled with the hill-descent control and hill climb assist features, can get you pretty much out of any mild off-roading situations. As much luxurious the car is on the inside, it’s equally prepped to get dirty and tackle the no-roads.

Playing around with the settings of the Mahindra Alturas G4 SUV

I even played around a little with the settings and the Alturas G4 could still tackle the sand in front wheel drive mode, thanks to the grippy 18 inchers. This was also because the circuit was relatively easy compared to their off-roading circuits in Igatpuri and Mangalore. Though, I was mainly impressed with the Hill Descent Control which helped get the 1.68 tonne SUV to the lower end of the steep slope safely. Once you nosedive into the steep incline, you leave the throttle and make minor steering corrections and the Alturas G4 does the rest quite well.

Our man Aniruddha Rangnekar drove the Alturas G4 last month, read his full test drive review here.

Like scenic locations and powerful cars? Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter